Surrender Will Win the Fight
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: What if someone colored Jo's life before Eureka, Oregon? Jo Lupo's an Army brat going from base to base w/family, & Fi Phillips's a girl living on her mom's tour bus, driving from gig to gig. They become friends, & keep in touch, before losing contact after Jo comes to Eureka. When Fi comes in search of her old childhood friend, she awakens something long buried w/in the the town.
1. Chapter 1

**Surrender Will Win the Fight**

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: What if Jo's life wasn't always black and white- even before Zane and before Eureka? What if something- or someone- helped to color Jo's life long before she ever set foot in Eureka, Oregon? When they first meet, Jo Lupo is an Army brat growing up going from base to base with her family, and Fi Phillips is a girl living her life on her mom's tour bus, driving from gig to gig. The two become fast friends, and keep in touch, before losing contact after Jo comes to Eureka. But when Fi comes in search of her old childhood friend, she awakens something long buried within the town. **

_May, 1983_

"What's her name, Mama?"

The three little boys crowded around, trying to get a good look at their baby sister. Their mother smiled at her sons, before turning her gaze back to the raven-haired baby in her arms.

"Boys, meet your baby sister, Josefina. Josefina Cara Margaret Lupo."

The oldest boy looked up at his mother, confused. "Josefina?" Her mother nodded. He seemed to think a moment, before turning his attention back to the baby. "Joey."

Their parents shared amused looks.

"No, Davie. Josie. Not Joey, Josie." The boys shared confused looks, before mutually shaking their heads.

"Joey." Nick cried in agreement.

The youngest boy- three-year-old Alex- leaned over the baby and stuck his tongue out at her. "Joey!" Sighing, the Colonel pressed a kiss to his wife's hair.

"You know they think they're going to win, right Beck?" He asked softly. She nodded.

"I know. But I finally have my little girl." She turned her gaze back to her daughter as her sons rushed to play. "Just as long as she never answers to Jo, I'll be happy."

_June, 1995_

"Give that back!"

"You'll have to catch me first, Joey!"

The twelve-year-old threw down her glove and stomped after her older brother, determination on her face. He laughed, holding the ball just out of reach, before turning and throwing it towards his brother. Then, he took off running, an attempt to take the ball before his sister could get her hands on it.

The boy dodged the girl making their way towards them, but his sister didn't. Before she could stop herself, she slammed into the girl, throwing them both to the ground. The raven-head was the first to stand, holding her head.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!"

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" The girl snapped, climbing to her feet. An older boy soon joined the younger girl, and pretty soon, she could feel her brother's closing in to make sure she was all right.

"Are you okay, Joey?"

" You aren't hurt are you?"

"If Dad finds out that we let you get hurt, we're all toast."

"I'm fine!" She cried, attempting to move away from her brothers. Instead, she turned to the girl she'd collided with. "Sorry. I didn't see you. Are you okay?" It was then that she realized that the girl was younger than she was. The girl nodded.

"I'm okay. You just have a hard head. I'm Fi." She held out her hand, waiting. After a moment, the other girl took her hand.

"Joey." A blush of embarrassment covered the twelve-year-old's face, and she ducked her head, pulling away. Fi noticed the embarrassment and wrinkled her nose.

"Joey? They call you Joey?" A nod before,

"That's what I get for being the baby of the family, with three brothers. A boy's name for a nickname."

After a moment, Fi cocked her head to the side. "What's your real name?" They stood alone now; Jack and the three boys had become engaged in a game of catch, and left the girls within their sights.

"Josefina Lupo." She replied. "Yours?"

"Fiona Phillips."

"But they call you Fi instead?" The girl nodded.

"Yeah." She thought a minute, before saying, "Why don't you go by something else? Like Josie?"

"Because Josie's girly. I'm not girly."

"Then how about... Jo instead?"

Fi waited, as the older girl seemed to ponder the new nickname. Eventually, she smiled.

"Jo... I like it."


	2. Chapter 2

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

"How old are you?"

"Ten. You?"

"Twelve." After a moment, she burst into nervous laughter.

"What's so funny?" Fi asked, confused. The girl stopped immediately, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I... I don't have many friends. Because I move around a lot. My dad's in the Army, so we... we go from base to base, and we stay for a couple years until he's reassigned, but never long enough for me to make any real friends. And I just..." She looked down at her feet as the two girls walked to the small grocery store. The boys- who had become fast friends- followed them in before scattering.

"Just what?" Fi asked, as she followed Jo, going by the candy shelves.

"I just... hoped I was making a friend." The older girl ducked her head, embarrassed. Fi couldn't help the smile that spread.

"I hope so, because I was hoping was making a friend too." Jo's head snapped up.

"Really?" She seemed shocked by the Fi's confession. The younger girl nodded.

"Yeah. My mom's a singer, and... so we tour... I... I've spent the better part of my life moving around, so I... I know what it's like not to make friends." They continued wandering through the small grocery store, sharing stories about themselves, and comparing their home lives.

"Is it just you?" Jo asked, stopping near the bakery. Fi shook her head.

"I have an older brother. Jack."

"He's your brother?" Jo asked, surprised. "I thought he was someone following you because he wanted to kidnap you."

"Why would my brother want to kidnap me?" Fi asked, confused. Jo blushed.

"Sorry, habit, when you have three older brothers. You tend to think that everyone following someone else is out to kidnap. That, and my family's pretty protective of me. Being the only girl and all."

"What about your mom? Do they do the same with her? Is she in the Army? Or is she in the Air Force or another branch of the military?" Jo's eyes darkened, and she bit her lip.

"No... my mom's dead. She died when I was four. I barely remember her. It's just my dad now."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"It's okay. Nothing we could do." Taking a deep breath, Jo turned to Fi. "What about your dad? Is he in your mom's band?"

"No. He's dead too. Died when I was about three. But Mom says that he was in the band. That's how they met."

By now, the girls had left the store and sat outside on a bench, waiting for the boys to join them. They sat in silence for several minutes, before Fi asked,

"How long have you lived here?" Jo shrugged.

"Four years. It's the longest we've lived anywhere- or, that's what my brothers say. Everything just blurs for me. Are you... here for a gig?" Fi nodded. "Does she sing good?"

"Really good."

"I'd like to see her. I wanted to perform when I was little. Dance. And then..." She stopped, her face falling. She picked at her nails, nervous.

"You should come to the concert. It's in two days. Down near the old... the old..."

"Shipping docks?" Jo filled in. Fi nodded.

"Yeah! The shipping-"

"There you are, Jo!" Both girls turned, to see a man in casual Army uniform making his way towards them. A woman with long red hair hurried towards them from the other end of the sidewalk, towards Fi. Instant, Jo climbed to her feet, back straight, chin up.

"Fi, what are you doing here? I told Jack to watch you-"

"He was watching me, Mom! But I met Jo, and we've been talking-"

"Jo? Who's Jo?" The woman turned, catching sight of the dark-haired girl. "This is Jo?"

"I told your brothers to look out for you, Josefina."

"They were Dad. But they aren't much fun. And then I met Fi, and we've been-"

"Who's Fi?" The man looked up, seeing Fi and her mom.

"Fi is my daughter. And... Jo must be yours." Molly Phillips said, nodding to the older girl. The raven-head blushed. Her father and brothers had always called her 'Jo,' but she'd ignored the name, until she heard Fi say it. Somehow, hearing another _girl_ say it didn't sound as strange as hearing a boy say it.

"Yes. Colonel Joseph Lupo."

"Molly Phillips." The two quickly shook hands, just as the four boys left the store.

"Oh, hi Dad." The oldest of Colonel Lupo's sons stopped dead in his tracks. "I... I see you found Joey." Their father glared at him.

"No thanks to you, David. You were supposed to be watching your sister. I was about to send out search parties looking for her-"

_"Dad!"_ Jo's embarrassed whine cut through her father's speech, and he turned to her. "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself."

One look at his daughter's dark eyes made Colonel Lupo halt, and he sighed. "I'm sorry Jo, I just worry." Eventually, he took his daughter's hand. "Come on, let's head home." Fi called out to them as they started to leave.

"Wait! Are you coming to the concert, Jo?" The girl turned back, suddenly remembering. But then she turned to her dad, silently begging. "My mom's putting a concert on at the old shipping docks. Can Jo come Mr. Lupo? Please?" Fi asked.

The older man thought a moment, turning back to his daughter. He'd denied her so few luxuries and chances to be a kid in the last few years, that maybe, it was time to let her be just that- a kid. After a moment, he nodded.

"Yes, Jo, you can go."

The smile that lit his daughter's face was all he needed, to know that he'd made the right choice.


	3. Chapter 3

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

"I don't believe in fortune tellers."

"Neither do I, but haven't you ever wondered what visiting one would be like?"

Jo wrinkled her nose. "No."

Fi rolled her eyes. "Look, all I'm saying, is we should visit her. We don't have to believe everything- or anything- she says, but just go to say we went to a fortune teller. It'll be fun, Jo."

"How is that fun?" She asked, turning to look at her as Fi held open the door to Madame Keller's shop.

"It just is." As the door closed behind the two girls, and incense enveloped them, Jo said,

"I don't believe in magic. I'm Catholic."

"So? I'm Methodist. I don't believe in it either."

"Then why are we here?" Fi shrugged.

"For the fun." Jo snorted. "Come on Jo, we have three hours until the concert, this will kill at least a few minutes. Just go along with it." The older girl rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she was letting a ten-year-old tell her what to do. But then again, she was happy just to have a female friend who knew what it was like to be excluded, and so she kept silent.

Sighing, she wandered about the small shop, examining things with a disinterested eye.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you two." Both girls turned; an older woman dressed in a gypsy costume stood near a beaded curtain.

"Who are you?" Fi asked.

"I am Madame Keller. Please, come in, come in. Sit." She said, beckoning the girls towards the beaded curtain. Once they'd passed through it, she took a seat in a chair at a small round table. Slowly, the girls sat, sharing confused looks. "You would like a palm reading?" She asked, looking from first one girl and then the next.

"We can't pay you-" Jo started, but the woman cut her off.

"For you two... special little things, this reading is free." She reached out for Fi. "Give me your hand, Fiona." Casting Jo a startled glance, Fi did as told, watching as the woman studied her palm. "You have a connection with other worlds. With things that no one else believes in. Magic runs in your blood, and you must embrace it, in order to find the truth."

"Truth about what?" Fi asked.

"About the loss of someone dear to you." Madame Keller replied. Jo snorted in derision, and sat back in her chair, blocking out the rest of the 'psychic's' predictions. So when she looked back towards the fortune teller, it was because the woman was calling her name. "Josefina. Josefina! I need your palm."

Glancing quickly at Fi, she sat up and held out her hand. The woman leaned close, studying the soft flesh of the girl's hand. She traced the lines, before finally saying, "You have suffered great loss at a young age. Your mother passed, correct?"

"... Yes."

"You have a great deal to accomplish in your young life, Josefina. You will go on to do great things in the Army, but your greatest achievements will center around Eureka."

"Eur-what?" Jo asked, confused. But Madame Keller was tracing the heart line.

"Your heart line breaks in the middle before continuing... you will fall in love and consumate with a man, and then you will lose him. But-" She held up a finger to silence the protest. "You will find another man- the same man- and you will once again fall in love and consumate a relationship with him, though, it will be much harder, the second time. This man, this... Z... will pursue you, and you will do everything in your power to reject him. But you won't. This man is your destiny; your soulmate."

"_Z? Right._ Like I'm supposed to believe any of this- come on, Fi, let's-" She stood to go, but the woman yanked on her hand, forcing her to sit back down.

"Your fates both center around Eureka. You were meant to meet, girls. You are both destined for greatness and praise. Your paths will diverge for a great time, and then reconnect. And when you reconnect, you will both be ready."

"Ready for _what_, exactly?" Fi asked, as Jo pulled away from the woman. Madame Keller just smiled at her.

"To face your hearts' desires."


	4. Chapter 4

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: The rest of the story will be told in flashbacks. Also, I completely ignored Season Three of _So Weird_, because I think it went down after Fi left. So in this, Fi had never left, and Annie never joined the tour. Also, this chapter takes place pre-timeline change.**

**Thanks to kaykit and mondler1998 for reviewing 3.**

"Promise you'll keep in touch."

Fi wrapped her arms tight around the older girl. Two days after the concert, and Fi and Jo had met at the park, with mailing information. Jo's dad had just gotten his new assignment- Germany. And Fi's mom was continuing on to the next town in her concert tour.

* * *

_2010_

The town was small, much like the small towns she'd spent her childhood visiting on her mom's tour bus. Small shops and hometown diners, were all she'd ever known. Never had she had a stable, steady house- that she remembered anyway. Since her dad died, she'd lived out of her mom's tour bus with her mom and her brother.

Nomads.

Gypsies.

Going from place to place, making a living off of Molly's music. Changing schools and losing friends. Never getting close to people or building relationships. Never dating. She'd only escaped recently, when she hit eighteen, and decided to go to college to get her degree. In what, she couldn't remember. She'd spent so much time trying to adjust to life outside of the tour bus, that she didn't have much of a life.

The one constant, though, had been the letters and e-mails she'd recieved from Jo. Jo was the closest thing to a real friend for her, and Fi even considered her to be her best friend. They'd sent each other letters, telling each other about their days, the strange occurances that happened, or where they were- or, as best as Jo could. They sent each other little trinkets from their current places of residences; postcards, toy figurines, jewlery.

Jo sent a pair of clogs from the Netherlands, Fi reciprocated by sending a pair of Jade earrings from Chinatown. Jo sent a kimono from Japan, Fi returned the gesture by sending her a small jewelry box from Portland. Fi sent a cookbook from New Orleans, Jo sent a nesting doll from Russia. Only once, did Fi not recieve a gift or Jo recieve one in return. Instead, Fi had sent hers, only to have it sent back with _Return to Sender_ on it.

Not long after Fi had graduated high school, she'd sent Jo a ruby and diamond rosary she'd bought in a shop in Little Italy, in New York. She'd sent it, and two weeks later, it was returned to her. So she'd sent a letter, asking Jo all kinds of questions, only to have the letter returned as well. For a while, she'd wondered if she'd pissed Jo off, and after repeated attempts to contact her had failed, she'd given up writing, but had never given up thinking about her.

Now, as she looked around the small town of Eureka, Oregon, she realized that it'd been fifteen years since she'd seen her best friend in person. Letters and e-mails had been great, but nothing compared to seeing her, alive and well.

Fifteen years.

She wondered what Jo looked like now, if she was married and had kids, or what she was doing. For all Fi knew, Jo had either become a boring housewife, or was still the scrappy tomboy she'd known as a kid. A small part of her hoped she still was that scrappy girl she'd known. As she made her way towards the diner, she found herself scanning for a familiar face. Once she stepped inside, however, she was greeted by a burly older man in an apron.

"You must be new! Welcome to Cafe Diem. I'm Vincent, what can I get you?" She gave him a small smile.

"Um..." She went to the counter, taking a seat and nervously looking around. "What do you have on the menu?" She asked after a moment.

"Oh we don't have menus here. I can make anything you want." He replied.

"Really?" He nodded. She pulled out her wallet, but he held up his hand.

"It's free." She looked up at him.

"What?"

"It's free. Everything here is free." He said. She nodded.

"Oh. Okay. Um... just..." She looked around. "Just... the special, then." He nodded.

"Coming right up- I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Fi. Fi Phillips." She said, holding out her hand. He shook it, beaming.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fi. I'll have your Vincepresso and maple bar out in a minute, Sheriff." He said, directing his gaze away from her. She turned, to see an older man enter the cafe and make his way to the counter. He took a seat beside her, nodding to Vincent.

"You must be new here." She looked up into the older man's dark eyes. "I'm Jack Carter. Eureka's sheriff."

"Fi Phillips." The two shook hands and then settled into silence, until their food arrived, and the door opened, admitting two other patrons. A woman's laugh erupted in Fi's ears, followed by a man's. When she turned, the pair had moved away, going to the opposite end of the counter. Vincent set two cups of coffee on the table in front of them, but neither noticed. They were too wrapped up in each other. Fi saw the sheriff roll his eyes.

"Oh, don't they look happy?" Vincent asked, watching the young pair, even as he set Fi's dish in front of her. Fi leaned forward; she only saw the man's back, and couldn't see the woman at all. The pair seemed to either be locked in a kiss, or sharing multiple kisses. When the two finally broke apart, the sheriff said,

"Now that you two are done eating face, how about you tell us all what's got you both so happy?"

The pair turned to him. The man took the woman's hand, kissing it. "We've decided to move in together. We are... dating after all." He said, turning to her. She gave him a small smile, before kissing him again. Then, she grabbed her cup and stood, taking his hand.

"I'd better get to work. And so should you." She said, as he kissed her. "We'll have plenty of time for that later." She chastised softly, smiling. He walked her to the door, and she said,

"I love you, Zane." He turned to her, pushing open the door as she moved to step through and into the sunshine.

"I love you, Jo."

Fi's head snapped up, and she turned. Her eyes widened and she felt her breath catch as she called out,

_ "Jo?"_


End file.
